A Russian spy used a fake identity to apply for an internship at the Hague, the Dutch intelligence service said.
Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov pretended to be a Brazilian national called Viktor Muller Ferreira to try to infiltrate the International Criminal Court (ICC) in April, according to the Netherlands.
Dutch intelligence agency chief Erik Akerboom said: “This was a long-term, multi-year GRU [Russia’s military intelligence service] operation that cost a lot of time, energy and money.”
The ICC had accepted the man for the internship, he also said. The Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) said in a statement that the man was apprehended at an airport in the Netherlands, where he was declared to be an “undesirable alien” and put on the next flight back to Brazil, where he faces court proceedings.
Mr Akerboom said: “It clearly shows us what the Russians are up to – trying to gain illegal access to information within the ICC. We classify this as a high-level threat.”
ICC spokesperson Sonia Robla said: “The ICC takes these threats very seriously and will continue to work and cooperate with The Netherlands.”
